Paper 3: Public property release and development for integration

There is a general concern in government and amongst communities about the lack of public land release and development, specifically for affordable and low-income housing in strategic areas in South African cities. Land release constraints are almost always context-specific. This paper should be viewed only as an introduction to the issues that need to be explored in more detail, in specific instances. It is neither conclusive nor exhaustive, and the insights which are provided are based on anecdotal information about projects and cities.

The paper is the third in a series of four papers that together look at how to use public property to realise value towards the integration and spatial transformation of South African cities. It looks very briefly at government’s property portfolios and the current trends and approaches to managing these portfolios. It also looks at the impact this has on delivery, and at the key issues and constraints in relation to realizing the value of these portfolios.